The Molecular Human” – A Roadmap of Molecular Interactions Linking Multiomics Networks with Disease Endpoints.

This is the homepage of the The Molecular Human and its comics web-server interface. Click here to access the comics web-server and click here for the comics GitHub pages.

We now have a paper describing comics … read it here on medRxiv.

Here are a few screenshots of The Molecular Human and its comics web-server:

  • ComicsScreenshot1
  • CytoscapeScreenshot1

Who (or what) is “The Molecular Human”?

The Molecular Human is a network of over 34,000 associations between over 8,700 multiomics traits and disease endpoints. The underlying associations are derived from 18 technically diverse deep molecular phenotyping (omics-)platforms analyzing urine, blood, and saliva samples from up to 374 participants of the multi-ethnic diabetes case-control study QMDiab [link to the QMDiab cohort paper].

The links between the multiomics traits include (1) partial correlations between traits from the same platform (GGMs) [ref], (2) mutual best hits for pairwise all-against-all correlations between platforms [ref], (3) genome-wide, epigenome-wide and transcriptome-wide associations with multiomics traits and disease endpoints, and (4) phenome-wide associations with QMDiab clinical traits.

What can be learned from “The Molecular Human”?

We regularly post individual analyses, insights and use-cases using The Molecular Human and its comics web-interface.

We are also in the process of writing a paper that describes The Molecular Human. Once it is ready we shall post it on MedRxiv and link it here.

Which are the omics platforms that characterized “The Molecular Human”?

The table below is the list of all platforms on which QMDiab samples have been analyzed (so far).

LabelOmicsMeasurementTechnique/PlatformMatrix
DNAGENOMICSGenotypeInfinium Human Omni 2.5-8 V1.2 Beadchip arrayDNA extracted from buffy coat fraction from whole blood
METMETHYLOMICSDNA methylationIllumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 (450K) BeadChip arrayDNA, same as for genomics
RNATRANSCRIPTOMICSGene expressionRNA sequencing based Illumina ~20M reads.RNA extracted from PaxTubes
miRNATRANSCRIPTOMICSmicroRNA expressionmicroRNA profiling based multiplex qPCR, Exiqon.RNA extracted from EDTA plasma
SOMAPROTEOMICSProtein abundanceSlow Off-rate Modified Aptamer based SomaScan, Somalogic 1,1k.EDTA plasma
OLINKPROTEOMICSProtein abundanceHigh-multiplex immunoassays based Olink Metabolism & Cardiometabolism assays.Heparin plasma
PGPGLYCOMICSTotal plasma N-glycosylationHydrophilic interaction ultra-performance liquid chromatography (HILIC-UPLC) based Genos pipeline.EDTA plasma
IgGGLYCOMICSIgG glycosylationLiquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS) based on Genos pipeline.EDTA plasma
IgAGLYCOMICSIgA & IgG glycosylationLC/MS based on Wuhrer lab pipeline.EDTA plasma
BRAINLIPOPROTEOMICSLipoproteinsProton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) based Nightingale technology.EDTA plasma
LDLIPIDOMICSLipid concentrationLC/MS based on Lipidyzer technology at Metabolon.EDTA plasma
BMLIPIDOMICSLipids and other metabolite concentrationFlow injection analysis mass spectrometry (FIA/MS) based Biocrates technology.EDTA plasma
HDFMETABOLOMICSMetabolite levelHydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography mass spectrometry (HILIC/MS) & Ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS) based HD4 Metabolon.EDTA plasma
PMMETABOLOMICSMetabolite levelGas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) & Ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS) based HD2 Metabolon.EDTA plasma
SMMETABOLOMICSMetabolite levelGas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) & Ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS) based HD2 Metabolon.Saliva
UMMETABOLOMICSMetabolite levelGas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) & Ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS) based HD2 Metabolon.Urine
CMMETABOLOMICSMetabolite level1H NMR deploying Chenomx for annotation, based on Univ. Greifswald pipeline.Urine
CLINCLINICALClinical biochemistry and blood countsCobas 6000; Roche DiagnosticsBlood/Urine
The platforms that measured The Molecular Human: the top number indicates the number of parameters measured on the platform, the bottom number is the number of QMDiab samples that have been analyzed on that platform.